From Riverhead High to the Met: Opera singer returns home for Harlem Renaissance tribute

The lyrical poems and lively jazz music of the Harlem Renaissance have always been a source of comfort for Taylor Burgess.

For the soprano singer from Wading River, the era is a reminder of how powerful art can be during difficult times.

“There’s a lot of parallels" to the present day, Burgess said. "It's relatable. It's really just shaped a lot of who I am as a person and as an artist."

Burgess, a graduate of Riverhead High School, recently wrapped up a run in the chorus for the Metropolitan Opera’s production of "Porgy and Bess." Before flying back to Amsterdam, where she lives full time, she’s returning to her hometown to perform Sunday in a Harlem Renaissance tribute at the Jamesport Meeting House.

Her vision to bring classical music, opera and jazz to new audiences aligns with an effort by the Jamesport Meeting House to infuse the nearly 300-year-old space with modern programming.

The Black History Month program is inspired by Black poets and composers and titled “Winter Moon,” named for the Langston Hughes poem. Burgess' recital includes Hughes’ poems set to music by composer Ricky Ian Gordon, an Oceanside native The performance will feature other works including poetry by James Weldon Johnson and music by Harry T. Burleigh and Duke Ellington. She will be accompanied by pianist Eunha So.

“It’s definitely going to be a mix of worlds,” Burgess said. “Sometimes we think of winter as cold and lonely and dark, but there’s this warmth that this poem brings.”

Burgess, 29, got a bachelor’s degree in jazz from Purchase College and in 2023, completed her master’s at the Dutch National Opera Academy, becoming its first Black graduate.

She debuted at the Met during a 2024 revival of Terence Blanchard’s “Fire Shut Up In My Bones.” It was the first time the storied opera house had put on a performance from a Black composer.

“It really didn’t hit me until I finished the show,” Burgess said. “There’s so much history attached to it. You hear people singing in the hallways and it sounds like the gates of heaven have just busted open. I was so shocked by all of it.”

'It's for everyone'

Built in 1731, the meeting house is the East End's oldest public building. It is run by a nonprofit that hosts vibrant community programming, ranging from civic meetings to Shakespeare, funk bands and opera.

Offering a mix of genres at affordable prices is a central part of the nonprofit's mission, said Jeff Greenberger, of Cutchogue, who sits on the board of directors.

"It's thrilling for us to be able to offer an increasing variety of programs for the public," he said in an interview. "We don’t have a full dance card, but every year there’s a little bit more that we put on."

Performing a homecoming show has become a tradition for Burgess, who also visited her alma mater in Riverhead to lead a master class for music students last week.

Dena Tishim, the high school’s assistant principal and former chorus teacher, proudly watched as the alum fielded questions about everything from breathing techniques to life abroad and the realities of an opera career.

“She certainly had something, and it’s been amazing to watch it bloom,” Tishim said in an interview. It’s important to expose students to the art of opera, she added.

“Live music is always different than listening to music on the radio," Tishim said. "It's important to experience a variety so we can learn to be educated musical consumers, able to sit and listen to multiple different things, experience it and decide for yourself what you think of it.”

Burgess hopes to inspire young students at her upcoming recital.

“It means opening doors that maybe didn’t even exist in the past ... and continuing to make room for those that also want to experience this lifestyle and practice this art, because it’s so beautiful,” she said. “And it’s for everyone.”